In goods vending machines, gaming machines, and other applications it is well known to provide a coin mechanism which includes an electronic coin validator which can determine the authenticity and denomination of inserted coins, storage means, normally in the form of respective tubes for storing accepted coins of respective different denominations, a coin routing apparatus controlled by signals from the validator indicative of the denomination of each coin and operable to cause the coin to be delivered to the correct tube, and a payout system for paying out coins stored in the tubes, either as change or as prize money.
The present invention is concerned with devices and apparatus which may be utilised in routing coins, for example from the validator to the coin tubes of a coin mechanism such as that just referred to.
It has been common for such coin mechanisms to have four or perhaps more coin tubes standing vertically and arranged in a row. Different coin denominations have been separated from each other by means of a plurality of solenoid-operated gates which define different routes for different coin denominations when they are actuated in different combinations.
The passageways along which coins travel in such coin mechanisms are almost always arranged so that the coins travel edgewise at least through the validating and coin routing parts of the mechanism. One type of gate which has been used frequently in routing the coins is often referred to as a "flipper" gate and comprises a flap which is pivoted such that its upstream end (relative to the direction of travel of coins) is selectively movable between two positions to cause the coin to go either to one side or to the other side of the flap depending on the position of the flap. This is a very simple arrangement and it is easy to move the flap between its two positions using a solenoid.
Because of the nature of that type of gate, coins leaving the flap on one side of it will be on a path only a few millimetres, or a few coin thicknesses, away from coins which leave the other side of the flap the two coins then travelling in planes generally parallel to each other but not spaced far apart. The coin tubes, into the tops of which the coins need to be routed, are of necessity on centres spaced apart by distances of the order of at least a typical coin diameter. It has therefore been necessary to provide, in addition to a gating arrangement which causes initial separation of the coin paths, a manifold section which spreads the paths further apart so as to match them to the positions of the tops of the coin tubes. The need for both separation and manifolding requires a substantial amount of vertical space within the coin mechanism. The overall size of a coin mechanism is constrained by industry standards and machine design requirements, and it is desirable within that constraint to maximise the space available for coin storage and consequently to minimise the space occupied by the other components of the system, including the coin routing and manifolding arrangements.